Otis
Otis Elevator Company is the world's largest manufacturer of vertical transportation system. The company was founded in Yonkers, New York, USA by Elisha Otis, who invented the safety mechanism of the elevator should the hoisting rope break.The Secret Life of the Lift (Secret Life Of Machines Series 3 (1993) by Tim Hunkin) - YouTube This was created due to an accident with a freight lift at an local factory that injured the people using it. History Otis was founded by Elisha Otis in New York, NY, USA, after he demonstrated the special safety elevator mechanism in the Crystal Palace Exhibition in New York City in 1854. By the end of 1856, Otis had sold more than 40 elevators, all freight models. In 1857, the world's first passenger elevator was installed at E. V. Haughwuot & Company in New York, NY. In 1861, Otis' elevator safety brake was patented. After Elisha Otis died of diphtheria in 1861, the company was continued under his two sons Charles and Norton. Soon, the company was renamed to "Otis Brothers Co." with Charles as the company's president. In 1868, Otis developed a steam-powered passenger elevator and in 1870, the company introduce a water-pressured hydraulic elevator. In 1875, Otis invented the elevator governor. In the 1880s, Otis has established branch offices in London and Paris, and had installed elevators in the Eiffel Tower, London Underground, Glasgow Harbour Tunnel, etc. In 1889, Otis installed the first 2 elevators of the first sucessful electric elevator model at the Demarest Building in New York, NY. In 1892, Otis installed the first elevators with the Unit Multi-Voltage (formerly called Ward Leonard) principal, for smoother ride quality. Otis invented the automatic elevator in 1894. Otis developed the escalator technology in 1895 and was introduced it in the Paris Exposition in 1900, a step type escalator. After that, the same escalator was installed in a department store in Pittsburgh, PA (Possibly Kaufmann's). In 1898, Otis greatly contributed to the high speed water hydraulic elevator. Otis also made another type of escalator, called the cleat type escalator. This type was probably not popular, and was made for only maybe 20 years. Otis invented the gearless traction elevator in 1902. The first commercial installation was at the Majestic Theater in Chicago, IL. Otis invented the geared traction elevator in 1908. The cable wrapped around the motor multiple times. Otis invented the modern style geared traction elevator in 1911. Now, the cable only goes over the motor. This technology is still used today. In 1911, Otis installed their first elevator in Germany. In 1915, Otis invented the self-leveling elevator, which they called the Micro-Drive. In 1924, Otis introduced a high speed semi-automatic elevator, called Signal-Control. Around 1924, Otis made their first modern style automatic door. In 1925, Otis introduced Collective-Control, the first ever selective-collective elevator system. This might have been the first Otis elevator model with fully automatic doors, but it is unconfirmed if this system always used automatic doors. In 1931, a double-deck elevator was introduced by Otis. The first one was installed in the Empire State Building in New York, NY. Possibly in the 1930s, Otis started using steel steps for escalators. In 1948, Otis introduced a high speed fully automatic elevator, called Autotronic. Now, elevator operators were completely obsolete. On July 7, 1976, after a hostile take over, Otis became a wholly owned subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. Otis purchased UK's oldest elevator company Express Lift Co. Ltd. of Northampton as well as Evans Lifts of Leichester in 1997. Later, both companies merged together to form "Express Evans". In 2000, Otis introduced its machine-roomless elevator product, Gen2, which uses flat polyurethane belts instead of conventional steel cables. Otis introduces it's destination dispatch system called "Otis Compass" which is similar to Schindler Miconic 10 elevators. In 2013, Otis launched a new residential Gen2 Switch elevator that eliminates the need for three phase power, is solar-power capable, and uses battery technology to continue to run when the power goes out.Otis launched new residential solar-powered Gen2 elevator Locations Otis has its headquarters in Farmington, Connecticut, USA and has major manufacturing facilities in America, Europe, and Asia. They have ten research centers globally, and six area headquarters located in: *Farmington, Connecticut, USA *Madrid, Spain *Paris, France *London, England *Shanghai, China *Singapore Otis also have two tallest test towers. One is the Bristol Test Tower located in Connecticut, USA with a height of 384 ft (117 m), and another one is the Shibayama Test Tower located in Shibayama, Japan with a height of 505 ft (154 m). The Shibayama Test Tower is currently Otis's tallest test tower. Notable acquisitions *Pre-Industry Years - Becker Equipment & Lifts Limited (United Kingdom)Becker Lift Company in Beno Lift Guide *1914 - Waygood & Co. (United Kingdom) *19?? - Flohr Aufzüge (Germany, renamed to Flohr-Otis in countries Flohr previously were operated in) *1982 - Evans Lifts Limited (United Kingdom) *1995 - Boral Elevators (Australia) *1995 - Citas Engineering (Indonesia)Originally a distributor of Otis elevators and escalators in Indonesia from 1964 until 1992. Both companies then had a joint venture and in 1995, it was taken over by Otis and now known as PT. Citas Otis Elevator. *1997 - Express Lift Co. Ltd. (United Kingdom) *1999 - LG Elevators (South Korea, merged to became LG-OTIS) *2003 - Amtech Elevator Services (United States) *2011 - Marshall Elevators (United States) *2016 - Schindler Elevator KK (Japan) Notable elevator installations Notable products Signal-Control Signal-Control was the world first semi-automatic relay logic controlled elevator system from 1924. Collective-Control Collective-Control was the world first automatic relay logic controlled elevator system from around 1924. This system had automatic doors, and most likely 5 speeds. This system did not support very high speed applications. Autotronic elevators The Autotronic (automatic electronic) elevators are automatic programmed elevators introduced in 1948. Unlike the earlier push-button models (Signal Control), these elevators were large, fast, and could change speeds and adjust their schedules to suit traffic demands, bypassing floors when fully loaded. Elevonic 101 The Elevonic 101 was the first completely micro-processor-based elevator control system. It was introduced in 1979. Elevonic 401 The second product of the Elevonic class, the Elevonic 401 was the first "human-engineered" elevator with synthesized speech, information display and security system. It was introduced in 1981. Remote Elevator Monitoring Also known as REM, a diagnostic system for checking elevator performance from a distant location. It was introduced in 1986. Elevonic 411 and 311 Both models were introduced in 1989 and were the most advanced elevator systems in the world. A year later, the modernization series for both models (411M and 311M) were launched. Otis 2000 :Main article: Otis 2000 Otis 2000 was a series of elevator models produced for the European market. It was launched in 1993. Otis Skyway Skyway was the first AC gearless elevator in the world with large load capacity and Double Deck elevator (1998). This product have another name called "Super Double-Deck Elevator System (Chinese: 超級雙層升降機系統)". Otis SkyRise SkyRise is Otis's high speed gearless elevator for high-rise buildings. Otis Gen2 Otis Compass and CompassPlus Compass is Otis' destination dispatch system. Otis SkyBuild SkyBuildOtis SkyBuild brochure is Otis's self-climbing elevator system used during construction where the elevator climbs one floor at a time as the building rises. Each jumps can be accomplished between shifts, thus reducing impact on other trades. Once the building is completed, the permanent elevator is put into service as Otis SkyRise. This system is very similar to Kone JumpLift. Subsidiaries *Xizi Otis Elevator Co. Ltd. (Hangzhou, China)Merged with Xizi Elevator Group in 1997. It is one of Otis's largest subsidiary companies. *Sigma Elevator Company (South Korea)Established in 2001 as a result of merger between Otis and LG Elevator in 1999. Sigma is a subsidiary of Otis Elevator Korea and a brand of South Korea manufactured-Otis elevators for overseas market. *Eastern Elevators (Australia) *CFA (France) Accidents and incident *On 13 May 2003, an upward escalator at City Hall MRT station, Singapore suddenly reversed, flinging some 20 people on it backwards, including a woman who was pregnant. *On July 24, 2009, a group of 8 people were trapped for 8 hours in an Otis elevator in Toronto. A repair man who tried to fix the elevator fell more then 20 floors to his death. *On December 14, 2010, an Otis escalator installed in the International Trade station of Shenzhen Metro Line 1 retrograded without notice, causing 25 passenger injures. *On July 5, 2011, an Otis 513MPE escalator installed at Beijing Subway Line 4 Zoo Station escalator changed direction without notice, causing 30 people to fall. One boy was killed and 27 people injured, prompting China to halt the use of the escalator model. *In February 2007, the European Union regulators fined Otis Elevator 225 million Euros for being part of a price-fixing cartel. Other manufacturers such as ThyssenKrupp, Schindler, Kone and Mitsubishi Elevator Europe were also fined similar amounts in the same cartel. Trivia *In Japan, Otis elevators are often called Nippon OTIS and some of their elevators are often branded as National OTIS. *Otis has also dabbled in horizontal automated people-mover "shuttle" systems, such as the Otis Hovair. *In Israel, Otis elevators are distributed by Electra. Gallery Logos Otis Globe logo.jpg|Otis globe logo (18?? - 1920s) Otis UTC logo.jpg|Otis logo with the United Technologies Company (UTC) logo. This logo is still used today (normally found in some US Otis elevator brochures). OTIS.png|Current Otis logo New OTIS logo.jpg|New Otis logo normally found in the United States (such as on Series 5 and 6 fixtures) (2010 - present). Nameplates VintageOtisNameplate.png|1890s? Otis nameplate mounted on outside of elevator car. OtisEscalatorNameplate.JPG|1900s-1920s Otis escalator nameplate images_ARCHIVE_PICS_Misc_archive_ml-signs_otis.jpg|Vintage Otis badge from 1905. 6737385661_de60aafc74_z.jpg|An old school Otis weight limit plate IMG_5055.JPG|1912 Otis nameplate IMG_1480.JPG|1920s-1970s Otis nameplate SignalControlNameplate.JPG|1930's Otis Signal Control Nameplate Nameplate2.JPG|1930's Otis Signal Control Nameplate Nameplate.JPG|1950's? Otis nameplate OTIS 2007.jpg|Typical Otis 3200 capacity badge (Asia). Otis capbadge.JPG|Newer Otis capacity badge normally found in Gen2 elevators in Asian countries. Otis Elevator Company Pty. Ltd..jpg|Typical Otis capacity badge in Australia. OTIS capacity badge SS1.JPG|Otis elevator nameplate normally found in the 3200 elevators in Asia. Otis Elevator.png|Weight plate. Location unknown. Source:Google Images Landing sills nameplates 5151520043_bb600c47bd.jpg|Otis globe logo plate IMG_5053.JPG|Mid 1900s-mid 1910s Otis door sill IMG_5308.JPG|Late 1910s-early 1920s Otis door sill IMG 5115.JPG|Mid 1920's Otis door sill IMG_5136.JPG|Slightly different mid 1920s Otis door sill 20120416-010m.jpg|1920s Otis sills nameplate Otis door sills logo 20s.jpg|Another 1920s Otis sills nameplate. DoorSill.JPG|Late 1920s-early 1930's Otis Micro-Drive door sill (Damaged) Old OTIS Door Sill 4.jpg|Old Otis sills nameplate (1940s to 1980s). 219_otis-940x626.jpg|Another old Otis sills nameplate. OTIS Series 1 door sill logo.jpg|1980s to 1990s Otis sills nameplate. OTIS Door Sill.jpg|Current Otis sills nameplate normally found in newer Gen2 elevators. OTIS escalator landing plate SLH.png|1980s-1990s Otis escalator nameplate commonly found in Asia (credit to Instagram user SchindlerLift1874). Other Otis Elevator Testing Tower Bristol.jpg|The Bristol Testing Tower in Connecticut. PT. Citas Otis Head Office Jakarta.jpg|Otis elevator head office in Jakarta, Indonesia (PT. Citas Otis Elevator). Otis logo door sills Austin TX.jpg|Vintage Otis door sills. Otis classic leveling.jpg|Otis elevator pre-door/classic leveling. OTIS_mobile_fence_JKT.jpg|Otis elevator and escalator service fence in Jakarta, Indonesia. Otis Gen2 MRL cabinet MPV.jpg|Otis Gen2 MRL cabinet at Matahari Dept. Store in Pluit Village, Jakarta, Indonesia. Otis maintenance paper MPV.jpg|Otis service notice paper in Indonesia. OTIS elevator under repair PSA.JPG|An Otis Gen2 elevator is being repaired in Jakarta, Indonesia. Otis elevator PlazaGlobePB.jpg|Early 1980s Otis (non-functioning) elevator at Plaza Globe Pasar Baru, Jakarta, Indonesia (Credit to YouTube user VR303Elevators) OtisElevatorInstructions.JPG|Late 1920s Otis "Instructions to operate elevator" sign OtisOutOfService.JPG|Otis maintenance in progress sign Otis Supervisory Panel SITKMUTT.jpg|Otis supervisory panel. Otis Supervisory Panel SirirajHospital.png|Otis supervisory panel. Video Note See also *Otis Elevator Fixtures Guide (American) *Otis Elevator Fixtures Guide (South Korea) *Otis Elevator Fixtures Guide (worldwide) External links Website *Official website *Sigma Elevator Company *Hangzhou Xizi Otis *List of patents *Complete history of Otis Elevator Company *Otis history - The Elevator Museum site News Report *Apple Daily (Hong Kong): Elevator mechanics, to make sure the lift is running well, Septmber 26, 2016 (Chinese only). Category:Elevator companies Category:Elevator companies based in the United States Category:Historic elevator companies